Hola,
As much as I love my 2006 banana yellow FSR Pro, the constant bobbing on climbs has finally got to me. I've tinkered with air pressure, rebound rate and brain fade constantly, but without ever getting it to a sweet spot. I know it's not an Epic, but the minimum level of travel is annoying. I have a fairly smooth pedalling action, so it's not caused by me stomping up and down on the pedals. For such a great bike, it's a tragedy how much it gets left behind when I take my hardtail out instead.

I was about to flog the frame off and replace it with a Ti hardtail, but someone recommended replacing the Brain/Fox rear shock with an RP23. They've got one on their Orange and everything they said about its range, from almost rigid to active plushness, sounded like what I needed.

Has anyone taken the same route? Is there anything I need to be aware of? Spesh's site says the 2006 FSR Comp has a 7.5" x 1.75" Triad. Is this equivalent to the 190mm x 50mm RP3, or are they incompatible? Am I a crazy fool to even consider it?

It is doable, you'll have to accept that there may be some trade-off in terms of geometry differences (BB will be higher with RP23).

Speak to TF Tuned as they may be able to get a Triad of the right length for you.

ade – I've replaced the Brain on my 2008 Stumpy FSR Pro with a 2009 RP23HV 190×50 rear shock. The Fox shock is sooo much better than the Brain imo – I really prefer the RP23 on the fly propedal adjustment and lockout and the damping on the Fox is vastly superior.

The slightly longer stroke of my RP23 has increased the travel from 120mm to 136mm and the BB is raised by 0.6cm. Makes the headangle slightly steeper but to be honest it's given the bike more xc race geometry which suits me perfectly. Fitting the RP23 has also saved 220g of weight, the weight taken off the rear axle is really quite noticeable. With an XTR, SRAM XO, Magura Marta, Roval Control SL, Thomson build I've got a 24.75lb 5.5 inch travel xc bike, absolutely love it. 😀

You might want to note that – as I understand it – the Pro Pedal setting on the 2010 RP23 are much more subtle than on previous versions. I have one on my RC405 and can barely tell the difference between Pro Pedal positions and Pro Pedal off and on generally. Not an issue on the Pace as it barely bobs anyway, but it might be more of a factor for you if removing bob is your main priority. I'd have a word with TF Tuned Shox and see what they suggest.

That's all great advice, thanks. Especially bennyboy1 – that was exactly the answer I was looking for. I've picked up a barely-used second hand one off eBay, so when it turns up I'll chuck it in and see what happens!

I'm assuming the mounting hardware for the RP3 is the same as the brain-fettled Fox shock that comes as standard?

As for the higher BB – that sounds like it might be a good thing as it seems on the low side normally. The head angle shift doesn't sound like a big deal either – my other bike is an Inbred with old school long stem and flat bars, so I'm used to a racier setup. The FSR's got a TALAS fork, so I guess the head angle is a movable feast anyway.

Well, the shock arrived yesterday so I got my toolkit out last night to fit it. Everything went pretty smoothly, up to the point of trying to get the plastic bushing out of the fat end of the old brain shock, so it looks like a trip to the LBS is in order…

bennyboy1 – did you do the swap yourself?

I've taken the FSR out for a couple of short rides since it had the RP23 transplant, and I've got to say I love it. It feels so much more stable and usable than the old Brain shock.

I won't say it's a completely different bike, but the handling is what I hoped it'd be like with the brain tuned properly. Considering how close I was to selling the frame and buying a Ti hardtail, I'd say it's been a great move.

Now my bikes are all sorted, I just need to stock up on cold weather gear and some decent lights so I can get out and ride the damn things a bit more!